Johto League: Keith's Story
by BlackDragoniteOfTheApocalypse
Summary: PG13 for some questionable content that may come up later. rating subject to change. Chapter 2 now up! Rating subject to change.
1. Totodile, I choose you!

Johto League: Keith's Story, Chapter 1  
  
"Sneasel, Shadow Ball!" Shouted the orange-haired Pokémon trainer to his blackish-blue Pokémon, Sneasel.  
"Scyther, fury swipes!" The other trainer yelled out as Sneasel formed a black ball of energy in its hands, then threw it at the green, mantis-like Pokémon on the other side of the field. "SCYTHERRR!" The Pokémon screeched angrily, and revealed razor-sharp scythes on its arms. It was then hit with the black energy ball. This impact caused It to turn pitch black and freeze, consumed by the dark magic of Sneasel's shadow ball.  
"Yes!" I won!" The orange-haired boy jumped into the air.  
"Good morning, Johto, this is Rob Brickman broadcasting live all the way from KGRR Radio Tower in Goldenrod City. It's seven o'clock."  
Keith Silverwing groaned as he awoke from his intense dream. He opened his eyes, and when he looked at the poster of Pikachu and Ash Ketchum on the wall, he suddenly remembered, he was supposed to get his first Pokémon from Professor Elm today! He quickly changed into his regular clothes; baggy black cargo pants and a black shirt that had a picture of a Sneasel on the back (Keith's sort of a punk-goth.) He darted out of his room into the hallway, and ran down the staircase. As he walked into the dining room downstairs, his mother greeted him. "Oh, honey, how can you be wearing all black in the middle of summer? You'll overheat."  
"Mom, how am I supposed to be a punk when I'm walking around wearing white? What would the guys say?"  
"I'm just saying..."  
"It's all right, mom." Even though Keith could be rebellious, he still loved his mother."  
"Here's your Pokégear. You'll need it if you want to be a good trainer." She handed Keith what looked at first like a wristwatch, but when Keith strapped it on his wrist, it looked more like a very small laptop computer. The Pokégear had everything; a detachable phone, wireless Internet, a digital display of the entire Johto region, a portable television, and a radio. "My little boy's already going out on his Pokémon journey..." Tears formed in Mrs. Silverwing's eyes. "I remember when you were just a baby. Now you're almost thirteen..."  
"Don't worry, mom." Keith hugged his mom. "I'll call home as much as possible." "You're leaving already? Don't you want to say good-bye to your little brother?" Keith had a brother who was two years younger than him. "Oh, yeah. Is he awake yet?" "He's watching cartoons in his room." "Okay." Keith went upstairs, into his brother's room, to find him staring at the television, watching Spongebob Squarepants on TV. "Hey Chris." "Hey, big bro." Chris turned to see his brother. "Leaving on your journey?" "Yeah. I'll give you a call as much as possible. Stay cool, little man." "You too." "Don't forget, follow your dreams, and you might become competition for me in a few years." "You better look out." Chris said. Both of them laughed. "Later." Keith gave Chris a big hug, and walked out the door. Downstairs, he gave his mother another good-bye hug and walked out the door.  
Outside, Professor Elm's lab wasn't too hard to find. It was right next door to Keith's house! The lab was huge. It was three stories high, had futuristic-looking glass doors, and a metallic blue roof with a gigantic sculpture of a Poké ball that gave the lab a fancy look, like a jewel in a crown. Keith walked through the automatic sliding glass doors to meet Professor Elm's assistant, Barry, in the atrium, which spanned the entire three stories of the lab and had a gigantic, greenhouse-like skylight at the top. "What's up, Keith? Long time, no see." Barry was fresh out of college, and hoping to start a Pokémon lab of his own someday. He had crimson red hair, and a neatly trimmed goatee the same color as his hair.  
"Hey, is Elm here?"  
"Yeah, he's in the Pokémon Habitats room."  
"Okay, thanks." Keith looked around the atrium, and finally found the door marked "Pkmn Habitats."  
"Here we are." Keith opened the door, and found the professor, a tall, thin, blonde-haired man, checking on several different enclosed areas for the different Pokémon.  
"Ah, hello, you must be Keith Silverwing." Elm looked up from one of the habitats, and shook hands with Keith. "Here to get your Pokémon, right?"  
"Yeah. What have you got?"  
"Well, I usually give one of these three Pokémon to beginning trainers."  
"Which ones?" Keith asked.  
"Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile." The professor showed Keith the section of the room marked "Starter Pkmn." There, he showed Keith three glass cages, each with a different Pokémon. The first was Cyndaquil, a timid Pokémon who spent most of its time hiding under a small boulder. Keith always loved fire Pokémon, but he felt that Cyndaquil was too timid for his taste.  
The next Pokémon that Elm showed him was Chikorita, a grass Pokémon that had what looked like a necklace around its neck, and was obviously not the Pokémon for Keith. Too girly was Keith's only thought.  
But the third Pokémon that Elm showed Keith was different. Totodile, a water Pokémon, was truly a match for Keith. It was fearsome crocodile Pokémon, and had enormous fangs that gave it incredible power, as demonstrated when it crushed a block of wood using only its teeth. Elm then explained that when it evolves, its teeth grow stronger, and eventually it can crush solid titanium. "Wow." Keith said. "This guys is definitely my kind of Pokémon."  
"All right, then." Elm took out Totodile's Poké ball. "Totodile, return." The Poké ball gave off a red beam of light, which engulfed Totodile. Totodile disappeared with the beam of light. "Here you go. Your first Pokémon." Elm handed the Poké ball to Keith. "You might want to keep it out of its Poké ball for a little while. This one's kind of restless."  
"All right!!" Keith held the Poké ball up to the light pouring from a nearby window. "I got my first Pokémon!"  
"Now, take the Pokémon League Challenge, and someday you may become the next Pokémon legend!"  
"You bet!" Keith put the Poké ball in one of his cargo pockets. "I won't let you down! I won't let this city down!"  
"You sound just like your father." Elm chuckled. "We were childhood friends. And now look at him!"  
"He won't be champion for long." Keith smiled. "See ya later, Elm."Keith walked out of the room, and found himself in the atrium.  
"What's up, Keith?" Barry said. "Which Pokémon did you pick?"  
"See for yourself. Totodile, go!" Keith took his Poké ball out of his pocket, and in a red flash of light, Totodile appeared.  
"Toto! Dile!" Totodile growled and snapped its fangs. "Nice. Totodile's my favorite, too." Barry said. "Suddenly, there was an electronic beep as the glass doors at the entrance slid open. An old, gray-haired man wearing a lab coat walked in. "Hello?" The man was impatient. "Is Keith Silverwing here?" "Right here sir." Keith turned to face the man and raised his hand. "I am Professor Oak." The man shook Keith's hand. "Inventor of the Pokédex. Perhaps you've heard of me. I have something for you." He took out a small, red, computer-like device. "It's a Pokédex. Your father told me to give it to you." "Oh?" Keith took the device. "I've heard of these. They record information on Pokémon, right?" "Exactly." Oak said. "We estimate that there are around 250 Pokémon. Your mission is to record those 250 on the Pokédex. I know you won't let me down, Keith." "Don't worry, Professor." "Hang on, Keith." Barry stopped Keith as he walked towards the door. "I've got something for you're journey." Barry gave Keith five more Poké balls and a small bottle containing purple fluid. "The purple stuff is called Potion. Use it to heal your Pokémon." Keith put the Pokédex in his backpack and walked out the door. Outside, Keith took Totodile's Poké ball out of his pocket, and let him out. "Totodile! Totodile!" Totodile quacked happily. "C'mon, let's go." Keith picked up his new Poké Friend, and put him on his shouleder together they walked past the New Bark Town city limits. The brick buildings with the green roofs were gone. Now all Keith could see was rolling grass, and several trees. Off in the distance, Keith could see skyscrapers in the next city over, Cherrygrove. Keith wondered if there would be a Pokémon Gym there. He quickly consulted the Pokégear Map, but in the map of Cherrygrove, there were no signs of a Gym. "Well, maybe we can get some training done out here in the grass." Keith said to Totodile. Totodile gave a happy cry and jumped up in the air. "Maybe we'll find some rare Pokémon too." Just then, there was a rustling in the bushes. A small, yellow Pokémon popped out. "Pika!!" The Pokémon squeaked. "Now would be a good time to check the Pokédex." Keith took out the small computer-like device and pointed it at the yellow rodent Pokémon. PIKACHU, THE MOUSE POKéMON. Pikachu are very common in the vast forests of Kanto, and are rarely seen in the overseas land of Johto. When large groups of these Pokémon form, they cause blackouts in major nearby cities. "Wow." Keith looked at the yellow Pokémon. It had long, rabbit-like ears and a lightning-shaped tail. "A Pikachu. I heard about these." "Pika!" Pikachu squeaked again. "Chu!" "Hmm...I hear Pikachu are powerful allies. I might as well try my hand at catching it." Keith took an empty Poké ball out of his backpack, and flung it at Pikachu. Pikachu used an electric charge to blast the Poké ball away from it. "Wha—?" Keith was surprised. The Poké ball flew back into his hand. "That's it. Totodile, bite attack!" Totodile lunged at Pikachu, and bit down on its shoulder. Pikachu screamed, and fell over. "Good. Now, Poké ball go!" Keith threw the ball once more at Pikachu, and this time Pikachu was too weak to zap the ball out of the sky. The ball opened up, and a red beam of light engulfed Pikachu. Pikachu disappeared inside of the Poké ball. The ball rocked several times. PING! Keith had just caught a Pikachu. "Yesss!" Keith was overjoyed. He held the Poké ball up to the sun. The sun reflected off the Poké ball's metallic finish. "The first Pokémon I caught put of the wild." Keith put the ball in his pocket, and continued walking towards Cherrygrove city. By the time he had reached the top of the hill he was climbing, he could see the entire town. Enormous skyscrapers gleamed in the distance, and up closer, there were small houses and other buildings. In a cluster of skyscrapers in the downtown area, Keith could make out a Pokémon center. It hovered six stories high, with a giant Poké ball sculpture dominating the roof of the center.  
Keith and Totodile sat down at the top of the hill. Keith took off his backpack and set it between him and Totodile. Keith let Pikachu out of its Poké ball for some air, and almost immediately the little yellow mouse started chasing around Totodile. He gave Totodile a playful electric shock, and Totodile tackled Pikachu down the hill.  
Wow. Keith thought. They're becoming friends fast. Pikachu and Totodile scampered back up the hill, out of breath. Keith took their Poké balls out and tried to recall them. But they refused to go back in.  
"Hmm..." I guess you guys can walk around a little longer. Keith and his new Poké Friends walked down the rest of the path, into the Cherrygrove City entrance gate. A guard behind a desk inside the gatehouse stopped Keith.  
"Do you have a Pokémon with you?" The guard asked.  
"Right here." Keith showed the guard Totodile and Pikachu. "Is that all right, sir?"  
"It's fine. Go on ahead, youngster." The guard resumed writing on a piece of paper.  
"Pika!" Pikachu hopped on Keith's head and stood on its own tail, as if acting as a scout. "Chu!"  
"Wow. You have a pretty strong tail there." Keith commented. "You'd be pretty good at evading attacks."  
"Chu!" Pikachu smiled, sparks flying from the red dots on its cheeks.  
  
The trio walked out of the gatehouse to find that there were two trainers having a Pokémon battle on the sidewalk. Keith stopped to watch. Maybe he could learn something.  
"Mareep, thundershock!" One of the trainers said to its small, sheep- like Pokémon. The Pokémon gave a high-pitched bleat, and static sparks began to fly from its fur.  
"Charmander, dodge it!" The other trainer barked to its Charmander, a lizard-like Pokémon with a flame on its tail. Charmander jumped up, and the static charge instead struck a nearby lamppost, causing it to explode. "Now, flamethrower!" The trainer ordered. Charmander's mouth opened wide and flames burst out of it. They struck Mareep, whose fleece burst into flames.  
"MAREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!" Mareep bleated in its squeaky voice. It ran around, trying to put the flames out. By the time the flames did die out, Mareep's fleece was almost completely gone.  
"No! Mareep!" The trainer hugged his fainted Pokémon before recalling it back to its Poké ball.  
"Allright, I won again." The trainer with the Charmander said. "Better luck next time, Joey."  
"Mikey, come on!" The trainer with the Mareep said. "You always use Charmander. Use Pidgey next time or something."  
"Kid's right." An older, more experienced-looking trainer said. "If you use other Pokémon in battles, they'll gain experience too. You can't rely on just your Charmander. One day you'll face a trainer who's so strong, you'll need more than one Pokémon to beat him or her."  
"Hmm..." Keith thought aloud for a moment. "Use all your Pokémon..." He walked away from the scene, and strolled through the small streets of South Cherrygrove. The downtown district was in North Cherrygrove. Just as he was walking, his Pokégear phone started to ring.  
"Hello?" He turned on the videophone. "Keith Silverwing speaking."  
"Keith, it's Professor Elm." The Professor's voice was filled with alarm.  
"Ah, Professor. What's up?" Keith said. "Need an errand for me to run? Deliver a package? Get something for you?"  
"No, it's urgent. One of our Pokémon has been stolen." Keith listened intently. "Barry says he saw the thief crawl in through the window.  
"Which Pokémon did he steal?"  
"Chikorita."  
"Well, then it 's not that much of a loss..." Keith mumbled.  
"'Ey, Keith, how you doin'?" Barry appeared on the videophone.  
"Barry, what did the trainer look like?"  
"Well, he had spiked white hair, and was wearing a blue jacket over a white Tee-shirt. I think the shirt had an 'R' printed on it." Barry scratched his head.  
"I'll tell you if I've seen him." Keith killed the videophone connection. He continued walking down the road, until the two to three story buildings turned into the high-rise buildings six to twelve stories high. On the corner of Main and Corsola Streets was the Pokémon Center, which was huge. Keith knew that most Pokémon centers in cities were huge, and this one was no exception. Inside was a beautiful atrium spanning the building's entire height, with a glass dome dominating the top, and several palm trees planted in the center of the atrium, much like Professor Elm's lab. On the other side of the atrium was the front desk, where a young pink- haired woman of about eighteen to twenty was sitting behind. "Excuse me," Keith walked up to the desk. "Do you think you could heal my Pokémon?"  
"Sure, no problem!" The woman stood up, revealing a nurse's outfit. "We'll have your Pokémon ready in about half an hour."  
"Okay thanks" Keith walked into the lounge to fine several other trainers sitting down at a table, talking.  
"Hey did you hear about the South Johto Amateur Conference in Azalea Town?" Said a trainer with long black hair wrapped into a ponytail in the back. He was wearing a black sweatshirt with a Houndoom on the front.  
"Yeah, my Bulbasaur will be able to win it hands down!" Said a Pokémon trainer with green hair and a red shirt with a Poké ball on it. The shirt had the words "Silver Conference 2003" printed over the Poké ball.  
"Yeah, right." Said another trainer with red hair, wearing a green- and white leather jacket zipped up all the way.  
"No, Seriously! I'll use vine whip the whole time." Everyone at the table had a good laugh.  
"Hey, what's all the fuss?" Keith asked as he sat down at the table. "It's the South Johto Amateur Conference." The green-haired kid said. "Anybody who's anybody's going to be there." "Cool. So where did you say it was?" Keith took a seat at the table. "Azalea Town." The boy with the black sweatshirt said. "The southernmost city in Johto." "Cool. I might enter." Keith reached for Totodile's Poké ball to show it off to the other kids to prove he was able to enter, but remembered that Totodile was with the nurse. "Well..." Said the red-haired boy. "You need to have at least two badges to enter." "Oh..." Keith's grin faded. "Hey, don't worry." The kid in black said. "None of us have any badges either." "Really?" Keith's grin returned. "Yeah, I just got my Totodile. He's with the nurse right now. So what's your name?" "I'm Vince." Said the kid in the black sweatshirt. "I'm Stephen." Said the red-haired kid. "I'm Jordan." Said the kid with green hair. "I'm Keith." Keith said. "Keith Silverwing." Everyone at the table suddenly gasped. "You mean—son of Lance?" Jordan said. "The Pokémon League Champion?" "Yes..." Keith said glumly. "Wow." Stephen said. "Dude, your dad is, like, a legend. Dragons are my favorite kinds of Pokémon. Especially Dragonite." "My dad has a whole army of Dragonite." Keith said. "At least five hundred. I get to see them a lot." "Nice." Said Vince. "If you don't mind, do you think you could come with us on our Pokémon journey?" "Sure!" Keith said." After all, it is lonely to go on a journey without any other people around, even when you have six Pokémon. You still need someone who you can talk to. "All right." Stephen said. "The four of us on an adventure!" "So, you guys all from Cherrygrove?" Keith said as he ate a sandwich that he got from his backpack. "Stephen is." Said Vince. "Jordan and I are from Vermillion City." "Cool. Vermillion is where my mom's from. I'm from New Bark Town." "Sweet." Said Stephen. "Isn't that where Professor Elm lives?" "Yeah. That's where I got my Pokémon." "What Pokémon did you get?" asked Jordan. "Totodile." "Totodile is my favorite." Stephen piped in. "I like its bite attack." "Excuse me, sir," The nurse walked over to Keith's table, with Pikachu on her shoulder and Totodile walking next to her. "Your Pokémon are fully healed." Totodile roared happily. Pikachu gave a cheerful squeak. Sparks flew from Pikachu's cheeks. "Wow, your Pokémon look pretty good." Vince said. "Hey, Jordan, I noticed your shirt says 'Silver Conference 2003' on it. Did you go to the Silver Conference?" "Yeah, my cousin was in it." "How did he do?" "He got seventh place, which isn't bad." "Wow." "Yeah. I actually got your dad's autograph there. Which is pretty cool." "Yeah, maybe we'll actually get to talk to him on the journey." Vince said excitedly. "He's so cool... if you're anything like your dad, you'll definitely become a star trainer." "One day, I'll beat him." Keith thought. "Pika!" Pikachu squeaked determinedly. "Pikachu!" "Pikachu's ready too." "So, are we ready to go?" Stephen said. "I've got all my Pokémon with me. What about you guys? Are you ready?" "Ready to go." Jordan and Vince said in unison. Vince turned to Keith. "You ready to go?" "Sure am." Keith took out Pikachu and Totodile's Poké balls. Totodile returned to his Poké ball without a problem, but Pikachu refused to return. "Huh?" Keith looked at Pikachu. "Hmm...must not like its Poké ball. Guess you can stay out." "Hold it!" Yelled a white-haired trainer. The trainer was wearing a blue jacket, camouflage-color baggy jeans, and, under the jacket, a white shirt with a black "R" printed on it. "Where's Keith Silverwing?!" Everyone stared at the kid. "Umm...here?" Keith raised his hand. "I saw you walk into Elm's lab, you pathetic wimp. I've seen you around. I challenge you to a battle. This way I can prove you're weak." "Bring it on!" Keith raised a fist. "My first real trainer battle." "Okay. Chikorita, go!" The trainer threw a Poké ball. A small, chick-like Pokémon appeared. "Chika! Chika!" A small chick-like Pokémon with a leaf on its head popped out of the Poké ball. Everyone started to laugh. "What's so funny?" The kid growled. "Your Pokémon." Stephen said. "Everyone knows that Chikorita is one of the weakest Pokémon in the world. "Yeah, even my Bulbasaur could wipe it out in one shot." Jordan said. "It's that weak." "Well, let's see if it can beat Keith Silverwing, son of the Dragon Trainer." "Pikachu, go!" Keith said. "Pika!" Pikachu hopped off Keith's shoulder. "Pikachu, use your thunderbolt!" Pikachu jumped off the ground and flew into the air. It balled its hands into fists. Parks emitted from its cheeks. Pikachu closed its eyes, and zapped Chikorita with an electric charge. Chikorita was forced back by the impact of the thunderbolt, but kept its cool. "Chikorita, razor leaf." The white-haired trainer said, and with that, the leaf on Chikorita's head flew off, and darted towards Pikachu. Pikachu was slashed several times by the leaf, and fainted. "Pikachu!" h ran to his friend. "Pika pi..." Pikachu whispered. Keith picked up Pikachu and took him over to Stephen, Vince, and Jordan. Pikachu couldn't battle, but still had energy to cheer Keith on. "Totodile, go!" Keith yelled. He threw Totodile's Poké ball onto the field, and Totodile popped out. Totodile quacked happily. "Totodile, bite!" "Todo-dile!" Totodile roared and jumped at Chikorita. He tackled it, and bit down on its shoulder. Chikorita had already been damaged by Pikachu's thunderbolt, and the bite was too much. Chikorita fell to the ground, down and out. "DAMN IT!" The white-haired trainer cursed. "My name's Frost. I'm going to become the world's greatest Pokémon trainer." Frost shoved Keith aside and ran out the door. "Wait...he had white hair...blue jacket...white shirt with an R sewn on it...a Chikorita..." Keith thought for a moment. "That was the guy who stole Professor Elm's Pokémon!" Keith's eyes widened. "It's too late to stop him now." Jordan said. "For all we know, he could be past the city limits by now." "It's that Chikorita that I'm worried about." Keith said. "What if it turns out bad like its trainer?" "I hope not." Vince said. "That guy is really bad news, Keith. Hopefully we'll stop him soon." "Hey, are we going or are we going?" Stephen already had his backpack on, and was standing by the door. "Oh, Keith, here's Pikachu. I gave him a Super Potion. He should be back to normal." "Wow thanks" Keith looked at his healthy Pokémon. "Why go to a Pokémon center when you can just do this?" The four friends walked out of the Center. The sun was starting to set. "Look, there's Route 30 up ahead." Vince said. "We just follow that route until we reach Violet City. "Well what are we waiting for?!" Keith said enthusiastically. "Let's go!"  
  
A/N sorry for the long first chapter the next few aren't as long... 


	2. Dratini and the Battle at Sprout Tower!

"Pikachu, thundershock attack!" Keith said to Pikachu. Keith and the rest of his crew were out training on Route 31, near Violet City. Pikachu let loose a barrage of lightning bolts from its cheeks, which struck a rock and shattered it into pieces. Pikachu squeaked cheerfully. "good."

"Are you quite done training?" Stephen asked. "Violet City is right past the gatehouse."

"Okay, Pikachu. Time to stop." Keith said. "We can train once we get into Violet City. C'mon."

Pikachu hopped on Keith's shoulder as Keith joined Vince, Jordan, and Stephen. Around them were lush green forests, with rolling hills of emerald green grass, dotted with huge oak trees. Right in the middle of the field was a small building. The four friends walked along the small path until they reached the small building. Inside was a guard wearing a blue jumpsuit and a blue beret. He welcomed the boys into Violet City. On the other side of the gatehouse, our heroes found themselves at the top of a hill. And down below were several skyscrapers and houses. Off in the distance was an ancient tower that must have been 500 feet high, and nearby was a large, modern-looking tower that looked about the same height. The new building had the word "GYM" printed at the top of the tower in block letters.

"So, where should we go first?" Jordan asked. "Where's the Pokemon Center?"

"Right there." Keith pointed to a dome-shaped building about three stories high thaat was on the main street. This was the Pokemon Center, as Keith knew from the last time he had visited Violet City. "Let's head over." The four trainers continued down the hill until they reached the building. They walked in front of the glass door, which automatically slid open. Inside was a lounge and a healing center in one big room.

"Yo, Keith!" A girl with blue hair, a blue cape, and a black jumpsuit stood at a table. Keith recognized her immediately as his aunt, Clair, the Blackthorn City Gym leader.

"Aunt Clair? What are you doing here?" Keith asked.

"Your dad wanted me to give you something." She handed him a Pokeball. "It's a Dratini. Your dad said that you need a dragon Pokemon if you want to be a Pokemon Master.

"Wow, a Dratini." Keith clipped the Pokeball to his belt, next to Totodile. "Which becomes..."

"Yes. You can truly rule the battlefield with a dragon Pokemon. Train Dratini well" Clair suddenly dissappeared in a swirl of black.

"Who was that?" Stephen and the others walked up to Keith. "What's that Pokeball she gave you?"

"It's a Dratini." Keith threw the Pokeball into the air. When the red flash of light cleared away, a small, blue, snake-like Pokemon appeared It had large eyes and a huge, white, round nose.

"Draa! Tini!" Dratini wiggled itself into the air. Lightning sparks flew from the antenna on its head (I can't remember, do Dratini have an antenna?). Sparks flew from Pikachu, as well, as it greeted its new friend.

"Hello sir." The nurse behind thhe counter at the healing center said. "We can heal your Pokemon for you. Would you like us to heal your Pokemon?"

"Only Pikachu. He's the only one who needs healing." Keith handed Pikachu to the nurse, and sat down at a table to wait. His three friends joined him.

"So, when are you going to challenge the gym?" Vince asked. "I hear that Falkner, the Gym Leader here, used flying Pokemon. Your Pikachu could have an advantage with its electric attacks."

"True, but I can't win on type advantages alone." Keith closed his eyes, thinking of a strategy to beat Falkner.

"Excuse me sir," The nurse walked up to Keith. "Your Pikachu is fully healed. We hope to see you again!" Pikachu energetically hopped onto Keith's shoulder.

"So, shall we go?" Keith asked the other three trainers.

"Ready. Say Keith, I heard there's this place in Violet called Sprout Tower where people train. I think we should go there." Vince looked up from his trainer's pocket handbook. "Your Pokemon could get a real workout there. The trainers who hang at Sprout Tower are real tough."

"No fooling? I'd better go pay them a visit."

"Okay, just follow Main Street..." Vince was glued to his handbook.

"Dude, Vince, it's okay. It's just over there. You don't need that handbook for everything."

"Heh, sorry, just getting a little carried away." The four friends walked down the street until they reached the looming figure of the Sprout Tower. It was a huge stone building with gigantic wooden doors. Keith pushed the doors open, and the four trainers walked inside to find themselves in a huge atrium, with a wooden pillar, rocking back and forth, dominating the atrium.

"What's causing that?" Stephen asked.

"According to the handbook, nobody knows why the pillar rocks back and forth. Some say it's the spirit of a Bellsprout wrapped around the pillar, others say it's people training upstairs.

"Speaking of training, I'm going to go have myself a battle." Keith said. "Say, how about I battle one of you guys?"

"Say, how about me?" Jordan said. "We both have three Pokemon."

"Hold it!" An old man wearing a brown robe walked up to to them. "If you are going to battle, you must battle upstairs."

"Okay, fine." Keith, Jordan, and the others followed the old man up several flights of stairs until they reached the top, which was an open-air arena. There were wooden benches on the sides so spectators could watch the battles from the sides. The entire arena was made of wood, with stone walls on the sides.

"The battle between Jordan Long and Keith Silverwing will now commence, the elderly man said. "Each trainer will use only one Pokemon. Let the battle begin."

"I choose to use Dratini." Keith unclipped Dratini's Pokeball. A red wave of light splashed out, and when the light cleared, Dratini appeared. It wiggled around, and electric sparks flew from its head.

"Bulbasaur, go!" Jordan said. He threw his Bulbasaur's Pokeball onto the arena, and Bulbasaur popped out.

"Dratini, wrap attack!" Keith said. Dratini practically flew at Bulbasaur, and wrapped itself around its head. Bulbasaur was suffocating. "Now, slam!" Dratini jumped into the air, tail still wrapped around Bulbasaur, and crashed into the ground. Bulbasaur was down, but not out.

"Hang in there, Bulbasaur. Vine whip." Jordan called. Bulbasaur managed to extend vines from the bulb on its back, and whipped Dratini continuously. Dratini was forced to let go.

"Dratini, thunder wave!" Dratini's antennae sparked, and released a wave of electricity at Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur cried out, and fell.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle. The victory of this battle goes to Keith and Dratini."

"Great battle. You really tired out Dratini." Keith gave Jordan a high-five. "You're pretty tough."

"Excuse me, young man. My name is Li. I saw you battling, and I wish to challenge you myself. I was once a trainer many years ago. But I haven't had a real battle since I was in my prime."

"The elder..." One of the spectators whispered to another. "He challenged that young boy..."

"Li, I greatfully accept your challenge." He shook hands with the elder.

"Shall we begin?" Li unclipped a Pokeball from his belt and enlarged it. "Bellsprout go!" He threw the Pokeball. In a red flash of light, a small green-and-yellow vine Pokemon appeared.

"Belll! Sprout" It said.

"Hah!" Keith laughed. "Bellsprout's no match for my Pokemon team!"

"Careful, Keith." Stephen said. "None of your Pokemon have an advantage against Bellsprout. Both Pikachu and Totodile are weak against grass-types."

"Like I said, you can't win on just type advantages. Dratini could hold its own against Bellsprout. Dratini, body slam!" Dratini jumped into the air, and fell right on the Pokemon. Dratini screamed, but held strong and unleashed a wave of fire at Bellsprout. Bellsprout recoiled and fell to the ground.

"Flamethrower?" Keith scratched his head.

"Those aren't just any flames, Keith." Vince said from the sidelines. "That's dragonbreath."

"Dratini knows dragonbreath?" Keith thought out loud. "Dratini can only learn dragonbreath at such a young age through breeding... I wonder what other attacks Dratini knows."

"Bellsprout is unable to battle. Dratini wins the first round." Said the referee.

"Hahahaha." Li cackled as he recalled Bellsprout into its Pokeball. "Don't forget, I have other Pokemon. Hoothoot, go!" He threw another Pokeball onto the field. A small, owl-like Pokemon burst out.

"Hoo-hoo!" Hoothoot hooted. "Hoot!"

"Ha! that pathetic thing?" Keith laughed.

"You mustn't forget," Li said all-knowingly. "You should never judge a book by its cover."

"Since Hoothoot is a flying type, I should use Pikachu. Dratini, return." Keith recalled Dratini to its Pokeball and unclipped Pikachu's Pokeball. "Pikachu, go." He threw Pikachu's ball onto the field, and Pikachu appeared. "Pika!" Sparks shot out of Pikachu's tail.

"Pikachu, use thundershock on that Hoothoot!"

Pikachu jumped into the air and pressed its hands to its cheeks. Pikachu was surrounded by sparks, and suddenly, it released a high-voltage electric shock to Hoothoot. Hoothoot flew up in an attempt to avoid the attack, but was struck head-on. Yellow light flashed all around Hoothoot, who fell to the ground. It got up quickly, though, and began pecking at Pikachu. Pikachu tried to push Hoothoot away over and over.

"Keep pecking that Pikachu!" Li said. "Hahahaha! Now do you take back what you said, young Keith?"

"Pikachu, shock wave attack!" Keith smirked.

"Pika-pika-CHUUUUU!" A sphere of blue light, yellow sparks crackling around it, encased Pikachu. The sphere began to expand, and hit Hoothoot. Hoothoot was sent flying, and landed just inches away from the edge of the sixteen-story ancient tower.

"Hoothoot is unable to battle." The reff said. "The victor of this round is Pikachu."

_What Pokemon is he going to use next? _Keith thought.

"Weepinbell, go!" Li threw another Pokaball onto the field. A Pokemon much like Bellsprout, only slightly larger, appeared on the field.

"Pikachu, use double team!" Keith said. Pikachu suddenly split into two, then four, then eight.

"Wow, daddy. That kid has eight Pikachu." Said a boy watching the match.

"Sshh, Joey. It's only an illusion." Said the boy's father.

"Weepinbell, razor leaf attack." Li said quietly, eyes closed. The leaves on Weepinbell's head released, and circled the field, hitting all eight of the Pikachu. Suddenly, one of the Pikachu fell in pain after being hit by the razor leaf attack. The other Pikachu dissappeared at this.

"Now, Pikachu, agility!" Pikachu dissappeared into the air, and reappeared on the other side of the battlefield.

"Quit playing." Li growled. "Weepinbell, vine whip." Weepinbell extended the vines on its sides, and lashed them at Pikachu, who suddenly disappeared again. The vines turned around, and struck Weepinbell, who shrieked its high-pitched cry as it was hit with its own attack. The vines wrapped around the Pokemon, and there wasn't enough time for Weepinbell to free itself before Keith gave the order to K.O. Weepinbell with a quick attack. Pikachu appeared right next to Weepinbell and kicked it. The hit caused the vine Pokemon to fly into the sidelines, just narrowly missing Vince.

"It's not very often that I am defeated in a Pokemon battle." Reached into his pocket. "Please take this as a token of my appreciation." He handed him a small blue card. "It allows you entry to the South Johto Amateur Championships in Azalea Town. I hope to see you there."

"Wait--so I can actually compete?"

"That pass is only one of the requirements." Li looked at Keith. "You must also have two Gym badges to ensure that you're strong enough to compete." Li walked down the stairs.

"Wow...do you guys have passes too?" Keith asked the guys.

"We got them back in Cherrygrove City." They all showed Keith their cards.

"So I might be battling you guys." Keith grinned.

"Wow, it's already lunchtime." Stephen said as he looked down at his watch. "I'm getting hungry. what about you guys?"

"No kidding." Jordan sighed. "I'm starving."

"According to the guidebook--" Vince started.

"Forget the book. My cousin works at this great place called Slowking's Barbecue. I went there last time we came to Violet City to visit him. They've got really good pork ribs. Mmm-mmm-mmm..." Keith closed his eyes and started thinking about barbecue.

"Ribs do sound good just about now." Vince said, looking up from the guidebook. "Sounds better than Shellder's Seafood Sloop, which was the guidebook's number 1 choice."

"It's a good thing I stopped you, huh?" Keith told Vince as they walked back down the stairs.

"No kidding. I hate seafood."

"Me too." Jordan chimed in.

"Me three." Keith said.

After walking down three flights of stairs, the four friends were at ground level, at the busy intersection of Vulpix Drive and Central Avenue.

"Look, there's the Violet City Gym." Stephen pointed off into the fog, where the four could barely make out a huge tower, in the foreground of a dim outline of a chain of mountains.

"What are those mountains up there?" Jordan asked.

"That's the Mountain Road." Keith looked closely at the mountains. "Blackthorn City's way up there. That's where my aunt Clair lives."

"Was she the one who gave you the Dratini?" Vince asked.

"Yeah that was her. She's the last gym leader of the Johto region. She uses Dragons, just like my dad. The whole Silverwing family uses Dragon-types. And I'm carrying on that tradition with Dratini. But I don't want to train just dragons. That's why I'm also training Pikachu and Totodile."

"Pika pika!" Pikachu exclaimed. "Chu!"

"Hey you!" A brown-haired kid walked up to Keith. "Did you say that you're Clair's nephew?" He looked a little younger than Keith, about twelve years old.

"Yeah. and I'm Lance's son."

"Seriously?" He grew wide-eyed. "Wow...this might sound kinda dumb, but...I... challenge you to a Pokemon battle!"

"No problem." Keith thought for a moment, and decided to use Totodile, since he hadn't used him in a while. "Totodile, go!"

"Okay...Elekid, go!" The boy unclipped a custom pokeball that was yellow with black lightning bolts. The ball opened to reveal a tiny pokemon that had what appeared to be prongs from an outlet plug on its head.

"Bee bee!" It quacked happily. It raised a fist into the air.

"Huh?" Keith consulted his Pokedex.

Elekid, the Electric Pokemon. 

Elekid is the baby form of Electabuzz, and can store three-fourths as much power as its evolved form. 

"Wow, a baby electabuzz." Keith thought. "Totodile's weak against Elekid, so I've got to think up a strategy...I know! Totodile, use Mega punch!" Totodile charged toward Elekid at full speed, hitting it with a straight-arm punch. Elekid was sent flying down the sidewalk.

"Now, bite attack!" Totodile continued its vicious attack, biting Elekid in the head over and over.

"Elekid, thundershock!" The boy commanded, and Elekid's head prongs flared yellow-blue, and attempted to zap Totodile with a thundershock.

"Totodile, no! Ice beam!" Tododile blew a straight beam of ice forward, which not only stopped the thunderbolt, but also completely surrounded Elekid in a block of ice.

"Elekid, use thunder!!" Elekid, surprisingly, came to inside the ice block, and broke it apart with its fists. its fists surrounded with yellow electricity, as did the prongs on the tip of its head.

"Totodile, whirlpool!" Keith yelled to Totodile, who nodded back. It released jets of water out of its mouth while spinning around. The jets surrounded Elekid, trapping him in the vortex. Elekid released his thunder attack, but since Elekid was in the whirlpool, nobody could see what was going on except for yellow sparks flying from the top of the swirl. By the time that the whirlpool cleared away, Elekid was on the ground, fainted.

"Elekid! No!"

"I--I don't understand. what happened?"

"What happened?" Vince asked.

"Totodile's whirlpool conducted Elekid's thunder, and Elekid ended up electrocuting itself."

"Good thinking, Keith!" Jordan shouted out.

"Hah, but...can you handle my next Pokemon?" The boy took out another Pokeball, this one was decorated white with red flames. "Charmander, go!" He shouted. His Charmander, a red, lizardlike Pokemon with a flame on its tail, popped out.

"Char! Char!" It cried.

"Hah! A fire-type. Totodile, water gun!"

"Charmander, dodge it!" The boy commanded, and Charmander jumped to avoid the jet of water Totodile released. "Now, fury swipes!" Charmander lunged at Totodile and started slashing away at it, forcing Totodile back. It finally fell back, making it a victim to Charmander's attacks. "Finich it with bite attack!" Charmander bit Totodile in the shoulder and Totodile, already weak from Charmander's fury swipes, fainted from the attack.

"Totodile...no!" Keith recalled Totodile to its Pokeball and sent his second Pokemon, Pikachu, out. "Pikachu, thundershock!" He commanded, and Pikachu charged forward and zapped Charmander with a full-power electric charge. Charmander fell back into the gravel, apparently knocked out, but then it raised its head and released a force of flames at Pikachu. Pikachu dodged, and the flames just barely skimmed Pikachu's tail. "Pikachu, quickattack!" Keith shouted, and Pikachu lunged at Charmander, and as Charmander was about to use fury swipes, Pikachu disappeared and reappeared right behind Charmander. Charmander, still dazed and confused from the thundershock, didn't realize Pikachu's tricky tactics, and fell face forward when Pikachu kicked it in the back. Charmander was K.O.'d.

"Ha! Now you're toast."

"Not quite." The boy took out his last Pokeball and threw it. "Bagon, go!" (A/N: The first Hoenn Pokemon we've seen so far) A small dragonlike Pokemon emerged from the red aura of light.

"That pathetic thing?" Keith checked its Pokedex.

Pokemon unknown. Was the Pokedex's reply.

"Hmm... Guess I'll have to rely on my own stragegy. That must be a dragon-type. I can tell by looking at it. Pikachu's thundershock is weak against dragon-types. I'll have to resort to its other moves...Pikachu, use quick attack!" Pikachu flew at Bagon, and just like what happened Charmander, Bagon was caught off-guard when Pikachu slammed into its back. It let out a squeal, but helt its ground.

"Bagon, ember!" The boy said, and Bagon Let out a bunch of small flames which surrounded Pikachu. Pikachu was hit by the flames, and suffered a serious burn. "Your Pikachu was burned. It won't be able to use its most powerful attacks."

"Gyaah--!" Keith was dumbfounded.

"Finish it, Bagon, with headbutt!" Bagon hit Pikachu right in the stomach with its rock head, causing the little electric mouse Pokemon to faint.

"I'm down to one Pokemon, and it's a dragon too." Keith said with a slight smile. "Dragons are weak to dragon-type moves. Dratini, go!" Keith threw his last Pokeball onto the field, and Dratini, the little blue dragon Pokemon, squirmed out.

"A dratini." The boy grinned. "Perfect."

So, Dratini and Bagon are neck-and-neck. Who will win this epic Dragon-vs-Dragon match? Find out in the next episode of Johto League: Keith's Story!


End file.
